Ryan Zimmerman won't be in the lineup Friday

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was not available to pinch hit in today's game, and he will not start tomorrow, Manager Jim Riggleman said. Zimmerman is fighting tightness -- either a strain or a severe cramp -- in his right hamstring that he suffered Wednesday night.

On Thursday, in the eighth inning of the Nationals' 2-0 loss to the Rockies, Zimmerman grabbed a bat and put on a helmet in the dugout. But Riggleman was only bluffing, trying to trick the Rockies into creating a favorable matchup with the feat of Zimmerman entering the game.

"He may [pinch-] hit tomorrow, but he wasn't going to hit today," Riggleman said. "There's just something in there that's just tight. Whether that is a severe cramp that just won't get out of there or what, I don't know."